Forget your password? MyIDkey may help

It's the bane of every computer user. Each day you turn on the machine and attempt to conjure a user name and password from memory or sticky note. And then another to get into email, another for banking, another for Facebook. And on and on.

Aliso Viejo startup Arkami Inc. may have a solution. It is aiming to get rid of the daily memory game with myIDkey, a secure USB thumb drive, small enough to fit on a keychain, that contains all your important numbers, passwords and log-in information. MyIDkey unlocks by reading your fingerprint. Speak into it to find a username/password combination. Results are displayed on the unit's screen.

On Friday the company successfully raised $473,000 through crowdsourcing website Kickstarter. On Kickstarter, artists and startups attempt to fund projects by promising goodies – say, first dibs on the product itself – in return for typically nominal contributions. Nearly 4,000 people have signed on to support Arkami, most of them by pre-ordering the device – in some cases, several – with pledges of $99 to $2,000. For $2,000, investors get a meeting with company executives.

Arkami eclipsed its $150,000 initial goal on the site within the first week of its monthlong fundraising. The device is expected to ship in September.

"We sold 4,600 units in four weeks," said Tareq Risheq, co-founder of Arkami. "It was three times what we expected."

The company says its device includes Bluetooth connectivity, so it can communicate with smartphones wirelessly. When plugged into a computer, it will automatically enter log-in information for the websites you visit.

"The extra money will go to R&D, engineering and manufacturing," said Risheq. "We are planning to continue to innovate the product before launch."